Thursday, March 8, 2012

Things I Love Thursday: Perfume

Ok, so I promised I would do better about posting to the blog. Problem is, even though I talk constantly with my Facebook friends, I get here and I can't think of anything interesting to say! Of course, it's entirely possible I don't say anything interesting on Facebook either! But I thought perhaps I'd start off with something fun. Perfume.

I love perfume. I think every woman ought to have a signature scent. I smell Emeraude and I think of my grandmother. White Linen smells like my mom. My best friend is Chanel No5. I spent much of my 20s looking for that perfect scent that said "me". If I found something I liked, they often discontinued it. Sometimes a scent that smelled wonderful on someone else, like Clinique's Happy, didn't smell as great on my own skin. And sometimes I fell in love with a fragrance and my boyfriend hated it... which sort of defeats the purpose, doesn't it? He and I went round and round about perfume for several years. Either I loved it and he didn't, or he loved it and I didn't. Victoria's Secret used to make a pear scent that one of my co-workers came in wearing one day. I thought it was wonderful and spent a good portion of my paycheck that week on Pear Glace perfume, lotion and soap, only to find that he couldn't stand the smell of it! (My co-worker's boyfriend had the same reaction to it, by the way... go figure!) Finally, I said, "It's Christmas. Go to Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works and pick out something YOU like the smell of. Anything but Happy Daisy. That smells like a funeral." Naturally, when he got there all he could remember was Happy Daisy and I got-- I kid you not-- a bucket-load of that as my Christmas present!

I had about given up on finding my own signature scent when I wandered into a little shop that sold handmade soaps and perfume oils. I always thought that perfume oils were used to make a fragrance and I had no idea that you could actually use them directly on your skin as perfume! I picked a lovely honeysuckle (always one of my favorite scents) and the lady showed me how to fill the roll-on bottle (like a lip gloss) and use it on your pulse points. A little bit goes a long way with perfume oil.

Honeysuckle, one of my favorite parts of spring on the farm.

My boyfriend loved it (finally! success!) and I got many compliments on it. I remember being in an auto parts store one afternoon and a man actually calling his wife over to smell me! That was a hoot and sent me right back to the store to buy an enormous bottle of this wonderful honeysuckle-- a wise move, since shortly thereafter the store went out of business and I have no idea who the manufacturer of my signature scent is! You don't have to use a lot when you use perfume oil, so that large bottle has lasted for years. I'm still on the hunt for a honeysuckle oil that compares and several years ago I started adding 1/3 sweet pea oil to the mix, partly to prolong my precious reserve of honeysuckle and partly to honor the passing of one of my favorite cows, Sweet Pea.

The scent from perfume oils lasts longer than spray perfume, it's far less expensive and one ounce can last you for years... but the best part is that you can play around and mix your own scent! I love the fact that no one in the world smells like me. I get the sweet pea for my mixture from Aroma Haven. They have hundreds of scents available and you can spend hours searching through their list! They used to sell the roll-on bottles, but for some reason they stopped carrying them. You can find them many places, though, including Amazon. I love the roll-on bottles because they're easy to use, you don't spray everyone when you put your perfume on, and they're small enough to slip in your pocket.

How very interesting! Especially as honeysuckle is my hubby's favorite scent for me and has been for eons. I also love it too, happily. White Shoulders, the original scent, used to have a strong honeysuckle accent, but you are probably best going with the oil. Very kewl. Thanks for sharing!

I tried the first honeysuckle on their list and it wasn't quite right. Next time I have to order Sweet Pea, I'm going to try the second one. My honeysuckle isn't a true match to the plant either, but it's just lovely!

I tend towards Lavender myself. Both hubby and I love the smell and he uses the Yardley Lavender soap as his shaving soap since they no longer make the men's line of shaving soap, along with Crabtree and Evelyn. We did find him some locally made Lavender goat's milk soap that he likes too.

I've never like overpowering perfumes. I have a friend who loves the stronger scents, but when she puts it on, I gag.

Perfumes themselves seldom work with my skin oils. I did try Oscar de la Renta recently and not only liked it, it didn't react badly once it was on. But boy is it expensive!

I've never been a fan of lavender, myself. I don't know why. My mom loves it. She made me smuggle a sprig of lavender out of Cawdor Castle gardens when we were in Scotland and I spent the rest of the day smelling of it. Boy, she owed me for that one! Not to mention the ladies in the gift shop kept eyeing me like I was stealing something because I had it in my cleavage and it itched so I was walking around, constantly re-adjusting! LOL! You might try Aroma Haven's lavender. I've heard that people tolerate perfume oils better than actual perfume because there isn't any alcohol and other stuff in it. Bravo on the goat milk soap, btw! That's all I use. Perhaps that'll be my post for next week?

Jenna, I love Fire and Ice. I've been through many different scents, as well. I LOVE lavender, but I haven't found a perfume with lavender in it and some of those body sprays just don't make it work. I've used Fire and Ice since before I met Mark. I get a bottle for Christmas here and there. I ran out a few months ago and couldn't find it ANYWHERE! So I tried other scents, one by Britney Spears, which was OK, but not for me. :( Then I finally found a very small bottle at WalMart...of all places. lol I think I like your idea of mixing your own scents. I'll have to try Aroma Haven. :)

I am a strange bird when it comes to scents. I can't handle the strong over powering smells that so many girls wear today. I've gone through all sorts of brands and they never seem to suit me. A few years ago I was in Macy's goofing off with the testers and stumbled across a perfume that was a mix of light vanilla, caramel with hints of pear and musk and fell in love. Lo and behold it was Jessica Simpson's Fancy, it goes on strong but once it settles it's so subtle that I forget I'm wearing it. I have been using it ever since, and have received a ton of compliments on it. I think certain fragrances simply suit certain people.

That was my experience with Clinique's Happy. One of my co-workers wore it and every time I was near her I'd say, "Oh my god, Anna, you smell wonderful!" One night I was supposed to meet my friends in town for dinner and I was a little early so I stopped by Belk's and put on a spritz of it. Good thing I did that before I spent the money on it because I could not wait to get home and wash it off! I hated it and it didn't smell on me anything like it smelled on Anna! I was so disappointed. It's all about your body chemistry, I guess.

My scent is from The Gap, it's called So Pink. I've been wearing it for about 8 yrs. When I switch to something else my dear hubby says I just don't smell right. Who knew that an in-expensive body spray would be my scent.

About Me

Jenna Maclaine is the author of the Cin Craven series from St. Martin's Press. She has a BA in history from North Georgia College & State University. When she isn't writing she spends her time caring for the 80+ animals that share her family farm in the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.